A Medal of Restraint – Hokey Mokey!

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Today’s Blog Post
A Medal of Restraint – Hokey Mokey!

Peter Worthington is a fairly reliable source most of the time – from what I have read. This time he has caught my attention with an article posted June 19, 2010 in the Toronto SUN… (you know the SUN Papers (all over Canada) – the ones that has not a lot of reporting about other stuff than Sports… and is filled with advertisements by the millions.)

If you sum up the feeling that you get from the SUN – it is a grunt and scratch paper for grunt and scratch kind of guys.

If you don’t like grunting and scratching, you will likely not read this paper… except maybe if it is a “Complimentary Copy” planted in a coffee shop… like it was yesterday. It was left on the table next to us. I carefully looked around to see if anyone was going to retrieve it… then picked it up to thumb through while we drank our coffee.

My wife looked over my shoulder as well and stated the obvious, “They sure do put a lot of sports in this paper… and LOOK at the advertisements!”

On the side… with everyone protesting about everything… and specially the amount of trees that are being killed… the SUN Paper must have killed a Gazillion Trees with this edition!

Sorry I got distracted…

Worthington’s article pointed to the fact that some one in their brilliance has proposed that Soldiers in the War be given a Medal for not having shot their guns off… and not having killed a Civilian. This is primarily to be given out now with the War in Afghanistan – where Soldiers must be popping off people that shouldn’t be popped off.

Now I may be wrong about this… but Soldiers are well trained as to how to operate their fire arms. They can take them all apart and reassemble. They can prepare them to fire. They fire them. They carry them. They know how to place the sights on someone and take them out. They know what the enemy looks like… kind of… and it is usually a person that is carrying a rifle or a bomb or is driving a rattle trap of truck or car right towards the Soldiers with the intent to BLOW UP the BOMB inside.

I don’t think I am wrong about that. So far most reports that I read have well trained Soldiers are ready to kind of… well… kill that miserable enemy with one shot preferably. Sights locked on… enemy in range and Kerpow! The enemy is gonzo!

But major leader has suggested the following. Peter reports…
Quote “British Maj.-Gen. Nick Carter, commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, apparently came up with the idea of a “courageous restraint” medal, which Gen. Stanley McChrystal is said to be considering for U.S. and NATO forces.” End quote

“Courageous Restraint” – okay??? Seems a little weird to me. Maybe I am just a little off kilter here… but a highly trained Soldier that doesn’t lift his gun and doesn’t want to shoot… could be in danger… and could be dangerous.

All kinds of thoughts pop into my mind on this one.

Suppose… I am Soldier and the dude beside me is also a Soldier… and enemy advances and is almost on us… and my gun jams… he puts his down and smiles… GOING FOR THE BIG, NEW, “MEDAL OF RESTRAINT”… and we are dead! He gets the Medal and I don’t!

Something weird about this mental picture.

Nick Carter likely has a reason for this kind of suggestion. Maybe his men are simply finding it easier to pop off anyone that even looks like a guy that might carry a gun, a bomb or whatever. After all these dudes don’t play fair... they don’t dress up like the GI Joe Doll and carry a real gun! These poor soldiers are simply firing at random.

What does get reported is when one of our own Soldiers gets killed and another body comes home in a coffin – all medaled up and given great honor!

I don’t think another medal will make a difference. I think that bringing home the Soldiers NOW is a REALLY GOOD IDEA… before more are killed. I think we could have done that over 150 dead Soldiers ago!

I really don’t think that anyone will change a culture like Afghanistan to become Democratic… Westernized… structured like us.. yadda.. yadda… yadda! It aint gonna happen.

They have lived like this for so long that no one can remember when it started. They will not allow other religions to be practiced. They expect it all to go their way. They will not change.

“He was so proud of what the Forces were doing. He loved helping the people of the villages that they patrolled… we are going to really miss him!” said the deeply grieving mother of the dead Soldier.

If he wants to help quit the army and do it another way. I mean some of us don’t carry a gun or fight… or were trained to fight. And we can help people everywhere. Why can’t they do the same thing?

Am I anti-war? Nope! Some wars will be necessary. Many people will get killed. Bad stuff happens.

But something is wrong if you suggest that the Soldiers should stop shooting their guns and then give them a Medal! DUMB!

When thinking goes this way… someone needs to stand up and shout… “IT IS TIME WE LEAVE – NOW!”

The people that make the guns and bullets have a market. They don’t want the war to stop.

Politicians have a job to do arguing whether we keep the war up or not!

DUH! It seems so stupid that even one more Soldier is wounded – let alone die over something that doesn’t make any sense!

And a “Medal of Restraint” just pushes me over the edge. But maybe… just maybe… it is a good thing. When everyone realizes what is being suggested… they will stop and get out. It could be over.

But what about the radical religious people that are hurting everyone… and killing each other… and acting weird?

We have enough of it here in Canada! We need not go over there.

Downtown Toronto and some parts of Ontario now are completely nutso! The Authorities have erected fences and done stuff to make life really weird for anyone living there. AND THEY ARE NOT DOING THIS BECAUSE OF TERRORIST FROM AFGHANISTAN! They are worried about our PROTESTORS from Canada who break things, bust thing, hurt police officers… they are just plain crazy people.

I don’t think a Medal of Restraint will make a difference… I really don’t.

What a weird world I live in! A Medal of Restraint – Hokey Mokey!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/peter_worthington/2010/06/19/14450081.html